Dollar

Dollar is a village in Clackmannanshire in central Scotland, with a population of 2800 in 2022. The scenic glen leading up to the castle is the reason to visit.

Dollar has no connection to the unit of currency — that word derives from silver mined in Joachimsthal in Bohemia, hence silver thalers. The village name may mean dolorous or gloomy — the ravine of the glen can certainly be a dark and draughty place in winter. Nearby Stirling likewise has no connection with pound sterling.

Dollar Community Council posts visitor information.

By road follow A91, which connects Stirling to the west with Kinross and St Andrews to the east. From Edinburgh leave M90 at jcn 6 to join A91, you can't exit at jcn 7.

Alloa is the nearest railway station, with trains every 30 min from Glasgow Queen Street via Stirling. Then change to Bus H2 (below) or take a taxi.

Midlands Blue Bus 324 / 325 runs three times M-Sa from Stirling to Alva, Tillicoutry and Dollar.

Glenfarg Community Bus 23 runs hourly M-Sa from Kinross Park and Ride, taking 20 min to Dollar and continuing to Tillicoutry. The Park & Ride is a stop for buses between Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee.

Dollar is a small village and the castle is a short scenic walk. You need wheels to explore the countryside, such as Glen Devon.

Midland Bluebird Bus H2 runs from Forth Valley Royal Hospital at Larbert via Clackmannan, Alloa, Fishcross and Tillicoutry to Dollar. They're every two hours M-Sa.

• 56.1748-3.67481 Castle Campbell, Dollar FK14 7PP (Car park is half a mile from castle by steep road.), ☏ +44 1259 742408. Apr-Sep daily 10AM-4PM. 15th-century Towerhouse originally known as Castle Gloom, but the Campbells of Argyll got an Act of Parliament passed to change the name - now that's power! But it was destroyed by the Royalists in 1654 when the 8th Earl of Argyll supported the Covenanters and Parliamentarians. He was beheaded after the Restoration and his son the 9th Earl abandoned the ruin, instead building Argyll's Lodgings in Stirling. Adult £8.50, child £5, conc £6.80.  (updated Jun 2026)
• 56.1668-3.67072 Dollar Museum, Castle Campbell Hall, 1 High Street, FK14 7AY, ☏ +44 1259 742185. Apr-Dec Sat 11AM-1PM, 2-4:30PM, Sun 2-4:30PM. Volunteer-run museum, showing the history of the town, Dollar Academy independent school, the Devon Valley Railway and temporary exhibitions. Free.  (updated Jun 2026)
• Dollar Academy is an independent school in the village, with some 1300 co-ed pupils, mostly boarders. The grounds are private but you should be able to espy the grand facade, built by Playfair in the 19th century.
• 56.18-3.6393 Japanese Garden, Upper Hillfoot Rd, Cowden FK14 7PL, ☏ +44 7876 117703. Apr-Oct Wed-Mon 10:30AM-5PM, Nov-Mar Wed-Mon 10:30AM-4PM. Created in the Edwardian era, falling derelict but since restored. It's in the grounds of the former Cowden Castle, demolished in 1950. Assistance dogs only. Adult £12, conc £10.85, child £6.33.  (updated Jun 2026)
• 56.197-3.6054 Yetts of Muckhart: you can't fail to go to a place with such a name. It's just a road junction, but A823 north through Glen Devon is one of the most charming glens of Scotland, especially when the gorse and heather are in bloom. You can cycle or walk up the side lane to Frandy Farm but cars aren't allowed there. North of the lane, A823 descends steeply down Gleneagles: famous name but not as scenic, and nowhere to pull over.
• 56.1411-3.77785 Sauchie Tower is a crumbling 15th century towerhouse, abandoned after a fire around 1750. It's fenced off as unsafe.

• Hiking: use OS Landranger Map 58 "Perth to Alloa" (scale 1:50,000).
• Dollar Glen is the scenic gorge between village and castle. The area and path are maintained by NTS, but free to enter any time. From the museum, go upstream through the park; the way becomes steep and narrow and is not suitable for anyone with impaired mobility. The gorge narrows to a cleft, with the path carried by boardwalks and catwalks over the foaming river; a short branch delves into a cul-de-sac side-cleft. Follow the route onto the hillside with the castle. Here you can either loop back by following another path down the gorge, or take the lane. The autumn colours are brilliant, and are better on the sunlit hill than in the dark defile.
• King's Seat is ascended by branching west out of Dollar Glen over Bank Hill (343 m) then on to the main summit at 648 m. Either return the same way or circle the head of the valley over Tarmangie (645 m), Whitewisp (643 m) and Saddle Hill (523 m) then back to the gorge and village. Lots more hikes in the Ochils nearby.
• Devon Way is the trackbed of the former Devon Valley Railway between Alloa and Kinross, suitable for hiking or cycling. The best of it is the 3 miles / 5 km from south side of Dollar heading west to Tillicoutry, with views of the Ochils. It then trends southwest to Alloa, another 3 miles. East of Dollar it only goes as far as the Academy playing fields then the route has been lost. When completed in 1871 the railway created a scenic alternative route between Glasgow and Perth. It closed to passengers in 1964 but continued to haul coal from the local mines, until those closed in 1973.
• Golf: Dollar GC is a 9-hole course north side of the village on the Ochil slopes.

Tillicoutry GC is also 9-hole, west side of that village.

Alloa is the closest 18-hole.

• Skiing: Firpark Ski Centre above Tillicoutry is all of 120 m long, so it's for beginners.
• Alva Games are held in Johnstone Park in Alva on the second Saturday in July, with the next on Sa 11 July 2026. Parking is in Cochrane Park adjacent. Dogs on leads are welcome.

• Co-op Food at 43 Bridge St in Dollar is open daily 6AM-10PM.
• Dollar's Deli^{[dead link]} is opposite the Co-op at 62 Bridge Street, open M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM, Sa 8:30-AM-4PM.
• Sterling Mills is a retail outlet park in Tillicoultry with several shops for outdoor gear, open daily 10AM-6PM.
• Asda in Alloa is open daily 7AM-10PM.

• Cafe at No 44 is at 44 Bridge St, open M Tu Th-Sa 9AM-4PM, Su 10AM-3PM.
• Troy-Ann's Caribbean Kitchen is at 1 Cairnpark St.
• The Aviary is at 24 Bridge St, open W-Su noon-11PM.

• The Inn at Dollar is at 19 Bridge St and has pub grub, open Su-Tu 11AM-midnight, W-Sa 9AM-midnight.
• The Inn at Muckhart by Yetts of Muckhart is open M-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su noon-11PM, food served until 9PM.
• Royal Arms is in Tillicoutry opposite Bridge Inn Hotel, open daily 11AM-midnight.
• Harvieston Brewery is at Alva, with a shop but no taproom or tours. Belhaven have a distribution centre nearby but their brewery remains at Dunbar.

• 56.1538-3.74931 Bridge Inn Hotel, 1 High Street, Tillicoultry FK13 6AA (3 miles west of Dollar), ☏ +44 1259 750252. Basic 9-room hotel run by a pub / Chinese restaurant. B&B double £110.  (updated Jun 2026)
• 56.133-3.7432 Dam View, Gartmorn Farm, Alloa FK10 3AU (2 miles south of Tillicoultry), ☏ +44 7437 602015. Three stylish 3-bedroom glamping lodges open Apr-Oct. £140 / night.  (updated Jun 2026)
• 56.2219-3.62673 Tormaukin Hotel, Glendevon FK14 7JY, ☏ +44 7572 875914. In the scenic glen, this 18th-century inn is nowadays only available for group hire.  (updated Jun 2026)
• Gleneagles Hotel: see Crieff.
• Fossoway Cabins are adults-only glamping pods at Powburn five miles east of Dollar.

As of June 2026 Dollar, Tillicoultry and their approach roads have 4G from O2, Three and Vodafone, and 5G from EE. Some dead patches.

• Stirling for the Castle, and Bridge of Allan for the Wallace Monument.
• Dunfermline for the abbey, Andrew Carnegie's birthplace and Pittencrieff Park; and on the coast nearby visit the well-preserved old village of Culross.
• Kinross has the island castle that Mary Queen of Scots escaped from.
• Perth for Scone Palace.

Glasgow ← Stirling ←

W  E

→ Kinross → St Andrews